Darfur: How Do Local Reps Stack Up?

It's report card time for our elected officials, but these grades are based on something more serious than turning in homework on time.

The activist group Genocide Intervention Network issued every member of Congress a letter grade based on his or her support for measures to help end the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In Oregon, Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio have something to hang on their refrigerators. Each earned an A on the scorecard. Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden and Reps. David Wu and Darlene Hooley earned B's, while Rep. Gregory Walden earned a D. The specific system for how officials were scored can be found here.

According to the scorecard's website, www.darfurscores.org, elected officials were graded even if they will be leaving office in January because the current Congress will vote on a Foreign Operations appropriations bill for 2007. Voters are encouraged to contact their representatives to pressure them into passing the bill, which would give $180 million to the African Union to send troops to protect Darfurians.

And just so you have no excuse not to do it, here are your representatives' Web sites, where you can click on the "Contact" link to send a message:

"In the low usage areas, we found that our vehicles sit idle four times longer, ultimately affecting overall vehicle availability for the Portland membership base, as well as parking for the Portland community."

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